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Ceanothus

AnnieanenomeAnnieanenome Posts: 35
in Problem solving
My ( once) beautiful Ceanothus has gone all orange leaved. I think it's dead. It was beautiful earlier in the year, full of blue flowers. It's been in 5 years. Do I dig it out or is there a slim chance it might survive?

Posts

  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    I'm assuming that this should be evergreen as you would have noticed its leaves turning colour and falling in previous years.  We've had a prolonged dry spell - could it be simply very thirsty?  Or - and because this has happened to me very recently so it is very much on my mind, could it be the dreaded honey fungus? Ceanothus is susceptible and sudden death is a sign you have it.  Dig down at the base of the plant and scrape away the bark.  If it's brown and crumbly it could be that the plant has just died.  But if you see what look like flakes of white paint just under the bark and smell them (it smells of mushrooms) I'm afraid it's honey fungus.
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They can be short lived anyway, but I'd say that's got no chance, whether from drought or anything else.  :/
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • AnnieanenomeAnnieanenome Posts: 35
    Hi didyw,  I'll check it out tomorrow and see what lurks beneath, and Fairygirl I suspect there is no hope as has been evergreen past years, yikes it's so disappointing.  
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yes - they're evergreen in the right circumstances, but once they start to go, it's difficult to retrieve them  ;)
    Many shrubs/trees have succumbed to drought in the past couple of years, but it isn't always obvious until they're too far gone unfortunately. Conifers are a prime example.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    Just to say though - I love that colour! Pity it's on a sickly shrub.
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    didyw said:
    Just to say though - I love that colour! Pity it's on a sickly shrub.
     :D 
    I know what you mean. I inherited a rhodo here - one of the types which had the rusty undersides of the new foliage. Very pretty. I took it out though as it didn't suit me in any other way. 


    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Don't panic if you find honey fungus. It's very wide spread. We have it and we also have lots of trees and shrubs.
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